WASHINGTON, D.C.— Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA)
President, Capt. John Prater,
testified today at a Congressional hearing and
added two more items to “Most Wanted” aviation safety improvement list of the
National Transportation Safety Board.

“Pilot fatigue made the ‘Most Wanted’ list, and we commend the NTSB for
addressing one of the most pressing issues in the aviation industry today,” said
Prater. “Simply put, pilots are tired, and the Federal Aviation Administration
must modernize flight- and duty-time regulations and rest requirements to ensure
the safety of the traveling public.”

Prater urged the NTSB to add to its list the need for: industry-wide adoption
of non-punitive safety reporting programs, such as the Aviation Safety Action
Program (ASAP); and increased training levels for today’s new-hire pilots who
are less experienced than pilots hired in the past.

“Airline pilots are the ultimate safety net in our industry,” Prater told the
U.S. House Aviation Subcommittee members. “That’s why ALPA believes that
non-punitive safety reporting programs should be high on the NTSB’s ‘Most
Wanted’ list. We consider them standard-issue, must-have items for airline
safety.”

Also of concern to ALPA is the decline in the amount of experience new hire
pilots have in the industry today and the inadequate training provided by the
airlines to help these new pilots become seasoned aviators.

“When I was first hired as a pilot, I had to have 2,500 hours of flight
time—hands-on experience,” Prater said. “Today, at some regional airlines,
pilots need as few as 200 hours of flight time to land a job. This concerns us
and should raise a red flag for others in the industry.”

Pilot training looms as a serious issue for ALPA, with practices like the
multicrew pilot license (MPL) becoming accepted internationally. Prompted by
pilot shortages, most notably in India and China, this certificate relies on
extensive use of simulators to shorten the time it takes to train a pilot.

“The MPL pilot would be certificated to fly as a first officer in a
passenger-carrying jet,” Prater said, “but would not be certificated to fly solo
in a Piper Cub at your local airpark.”

While the FAA has not indicated that it plans to adopt MPL, ALPA warned that
this type of training creates pilots who gain their experience almost entirely
through on-the-job training—with the lives of passengers in their hands.

“These pilots are likely to be bright and talented individuals,” Prater said.
“But that’s no substitute for experience and it definitely raises safety
concerns.”

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union representing more
than 60,000 cockpit crewmembers at 41 airlines in the U.S. and Canada. For more
information, visit the ALPA website at
www.alpa.org.